Conventional wisdom has always said that you have three seconds to capture a prospect's attention with a headline or ad. As little as ten years ago, studies showed that 75% of all newspaper readers at least read most of the ad headlines, with 25% going on to read the full ads. Today, with the advent of online newspapers without ads, print newspaper sales are declining. And even those who still subscribe, the percentage who read the ads are declining as well. In the US, we're faced with twice the amount of advertising of any other nation, so we've become twice as adept at ignoring it! Almost half of all college students have taken at least one marketing course which makes them even more proficient at deciphering the incoming message. One thing I've found that helps with my marketing is to practice what I call "mirror marketing." In other words, I look in the mirror and ask, "What does it take to sell me something?" I look closely at the junk mail I get. Which pieces encourage me to open them, and which ones get tossed immediately? Of the ones I open, which ones do I read beyond the headline? Which ones do I act upon? What catches my attention? Is it color, or type font, or ultimately, the offer? Does knowing who it is from change my opening ratio? When I need the services of another business, where do I turn for information? Do I go online first, or to the Yellow Pages, or do I call a friend? If I go to the Yellow Pages how do I determine which number to call? Is it location or size of ad, or do I simply call the first one in the category? And what about print and media advertising? Sometimes I purposely watch, listen and read ads with a critical eye (and ear) to determine how others are advertising, but sometimes I'm just like every other consumer and ignore commercials until one catches my attention. Ah ha! And how did it catch my attention? Was it an item that I already considered necessary, or did the ad spark my desire to own the item? When I'm in stores, what prompts my purchases? Is it strictly a need or did the merchandising have something to do with it? (I will admit to buying cooking vinegars based solely on the cool shape of the bottles!) Studying and reading
about marketing like I do, I'm aware of the "tricks of the trade" that most
marketers use, so I am not an "easy sell." But I"m also human, and I have
certain "hot buttons" that marketers can push to encourage or lead me to buy
their product. Sometimes I realize that leading, and sometimes I don't. When I
don't, they're good! So if we were wanting to ask that essential question, "What must my customer be convinced of to buy from me?," perhaps we should ask instead, "Would I buy from me?" Betty Newman is the owner of Newman Valley
Studio in Kodak, Tenn. Betty may be reached by phone at |
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